Midnight Monster Madness
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: While having a night on the town, Spider Man comes across some familiar faces, the Hauntley family! But when a museum's mummy has gone missing, the Web Warriors suspect Spidey's very unusual friends. Will Spidey be honest with everyone or struggle to maintain a web of lies?
1. Chapter 1

**Here is a collaboration story by Redbat132 and myself This takes place during the week Star Spider was recovering from the story 'Learning to Believe'. White Wolf (whom is mentioned here) belongs to Steelcode while Star Spider (whom is also mentioned) belongs to Redbat132. Enjoy.**

* * *

At S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, Ben Reilly aka Scarlet Spider,was looking out the window, staring at the sunset. But it wasn't the sunset he was thinking about.

It was Kraven...and what he did to Rose.

_'I can't believe that creep is still out there. And Rose isn't here because of it,'_ Scarlet thought in frustration. _'I wish Spidey told me where she was. At least so I know Star Punk is safe and far away from Kraven finding her.'_

Deep down, Scarlet actually wanted to find Rose/Star Spider, too.

"Yo, Scarlet!"

Scarlet Spider turned around and saw the rest of the Web Warriors. Agent Venom, Iron Spider, Kid Arachnid, and the one who started it all, Spider-Man.

"You ready for Guys' Night Out?" asked Agent Venom.

Scarlet sighed in his head. His team had been looking forward to their Guy's Night Out for weeks. Plotting to find Kraven and Rose had to wait.

"Not like I have anything else better to do, punk," Scarlet replied, already going over to his team. "Do I even want to know where we're heading first?"

Spider-Man took out a piece of paper. "I've got a few ideas right here."

Scarlet frowned beneath his mask. "Seriously? You made a list?"

"Yeah, Parker! Lists are for chumps!" Agent Venom took the list out of Peter's hand. "As fun commissioner, I declare the best plan for a Guys' Night Out..." He promptly tore up the list. "Is to not have one!"

"Coming from you, why does that not make me feel any better?" Scarlet deadpanned.

One thing that the brooding spider knew, was that this was going to be a long Guys' Night Out for him.

* * *

The boys' first stop was the pier. The amusement park was in full swing. The Web Warriors were happy to relax, take of their masks and just be themselves, As Flash, Miles, and Cho rode on a roller coaster, Ben was watching them from a nearby bench.

Seeing a shadow beside him, he saw Peter holding two churros. "Want one?" Peter offered with a smile.

Hard to say no to that smile and the stick of deep-fried sugary goodness, Ben smiled and took a churro. "Thanks."

Although he seemed all right on the outside, Ben was still thinking about Rose on the inside.

With Star Spider out of the city to recuperate, the least Scarlet could do was help find the answers she's seeking in New York. He's aware that Kraven messed Rose up big time from that last incident. And there was no way she could go back facing him right now. So, Scarlet came to decision in tracking that hunter down and shake the answer out of him on what he knows involving Rose.

Scarlet would have done that earlier after that cat mutating fiasco, if Kraven hadn't escaped out of that fire before S.H.I.E.L.D. could even contain that hunter.

And if that wasn't tiring, Scarlet tried to figure out where Rose/Star Spider was and sneak out to find her. Since Spider-Man kept it classified on her location to everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. But White Wolf has secretly been keeping the brooding hero at bay. Which Scarlet had to give the wolf hero pointers in doing that. Not many people would catch what Scarlet Spider was up to. Even when it involved someone like Rose.

But just because White Wolf is on the case in figuring out Star's past, it doesn't mean that Scarlet should stay there doing nothing. He's not some second-class chump left in the dark.

"Hey? Ben?"

"Huh?!" Ben snapped out of his own thoughts and saw Peter looking concerned.

"You okay? You were kind of quiet. Well, more quiet than usual," Peter pointed out.

"Never better," Ben grumbled. "So, after the others get back, where are we heading this time?"

"Glad you asked," Peter grinned.

* * *

Later that night, Peter and Cho were excited coming to their next stop. Ben, Miles, and Flash, however, were not so excited.

"Here we are!" said Peter. "The Museum of Natural History!"

Flash rolled his eyes. "Nerds..."

"So, why are we here again?" Miles groaned.

"I told you, they have a new mummy exhibit in the museum!" Peter reminded them.

"And who wouldn't be excited to learn about the origins of a new mummy?!" Cho added.

"Uh...me?" Flash answered, raising his hand.

"Same here, punk," Ben agreed.

"I can think of a few other things to do that isn't in a dusty museum full of dustier and super natural artifacts," Miles replied, definitely on Ben and Flash's side on this.

"Oh, come on, guys. Just give this trip a chance. Besides, Cho and I have been looking forward to this for a while," Peter reasoned. "It will be fun. I promise."

"Famous last words," Flash groaned, knowing he's about to be bored super quickly on this.

But when the teens turned the corner, they saw a small group of people holding signs.

PEPI BELONGS IN PENNSYLVANIA!

BRING PEPI HOME!

KING PEPI FOR PENNSYLVANIA!

These signs were written in big red letters so everyone can see. Peter couldn't believe his eyes.

"Are those protesters? Guess the museum just got a little less boring," Miles replied.

"I'll say. Also, who's King Pepi? And what's this about him belonging in Pennsylvania?" Flash questioned, reading the signs from a distance.

"Let's find out," Peter said, already taking the lead in walking up to the group.

Ben just groaned before following Peter with the others doing the same. _'I don't like the looks of this,'_ the brooding hero thought to himself.

"Hey! You people mind telling us what this is all about?" Peter called out, only to recognize who these protesters were. "Wait...Miranda?!"

Miranda looked over and saw that familiar face. "Peter?! Oh, my gosh! It's Peter!" She rushed over to give the teenage boy a hug. "I can't believe it! It's you!"

"It is. But what's going on here?!" Peter pointed to the protesters.

Miranda frowned. "Well, King Pepi, the new mummy of the museum, was relocated from OUR Pennsylvanian town! We're protesting until they give in and bring him back where he belongs!"

"King Pepi is the name of the mummy you and Cho wanted to see? And I thought this part of Guys' Night couldn't be anymore lame," Flash retorted, folding his arms.

"Hey, Pete. Mind telling us who your new friend is?" Miles called out.

"Oh! Right. Miranda, these are my friends. Flash, Cho, Miles, and Ben," Peter introduced, pointing who was who. "Guys, this is Miranda. She's a friend I met in Pennsylvania when staying at this hotel there with Aunt May."

Miranda smiled and waved. "Nice to meet you all." She showed them a clipboard with a list of names written on it. "Will You sign this petition to bring King Pepi back to our town?"

"If it means we don't have to go through this boring part on Guys' Night Out, then I'm in," Flash replied, about to sign until Cho stopped him.

"Don't blindly sign something just because you hate coming here!" Cho argued, turning to Miranda. "Please excuse Flash. He barely thinks things through a lot. Also, perhaps you could explain to us on why this new mummy is so rare that it belongs in your home state instead of here."

"It's not a cursed mummy, is it?" Miles questioned, hearing the guys groaned on that theory. "What?! It could be!"

"Actually, a cursed mummy sounds way more exciting to see. Like it brings everything in the museum to life!" Flash exclaimed, excited about that idea. "Oh, that would be so awesome!"

"Ugh! I'm starting to see why coming here was a bad idea," Ben grumbled while facepalming, getting tired and annoyed by all of this.

"Guys! I'm sure King Pepi isn't some cursed mummy. Tell them, Miranda," Peter said, expecting the teen girl will straighten this whole situation out.

"Trust me, I know for a fact that it's not a cursed mummy or any of that junk," said Miranda. "Right, guys?"

"Oh, absolutely!" said a bespectacled man with a deep, accented voice.

Miles stared at the man and woman. "Uh, who are you guys?" he asked.

"Boris Hauntley, at your service!" Boris gladly shook the boy's hand. Miles yelped when he felt how strong the man's grip was. "And this is my wife, Oxana."

"Spooktacular to meet you," Oxana greeted politely.

"They own the bed and breakfast I stayed at," Peter explained, before looking around. "Where's your daughter, Vee?"

"She's inside the museum seeing King Pepi," said Miranda. "You see, boys, King Pepi''s history is deeply rooted to our Pennsylvanian town."

"Plus, we heard this is a pretty tough town," added Oxana. "We just don't think King Pepi would be safe in a place like this."

That was a fact the Web-Warriors can actually agree on. New York City was a tough town. One of the toughest towns ever. There have been so many super villains causing so much crime and destruction, it wasn't funny.

"Well, can't argue with that. I'll sign," Peter replied, promptly signing the petition. As did Ben, Flash, Miles, and Cho.

"Thank you so much!" said a girl who resembled the man and woman that quickly came out of nowhere that startled the boys a bit.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?!" Flash asked.

"Out the door from the museum. Just finished checking on King Pepi," the girl answered, already going to Peter and hugging him. "And it was great seeing you again, Peter!"

"Oui! Take care of yourself, Peter!" said one of the protesters. He had a beard of red hair and wore glasses, a grey trench coat, pants, and fedora.

Peter recognized that voice very well. But didn't bring it up to his friends.


	2. Chapter 2

After Guys' Night was over, Spider-Man was called back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Once he got there, Spidey was surprised to see the Web-Warriors suited up and looking pretty serious.

"Hey, guys. Why'd you call this meeting?" asked Spider-Man.

"It's about those weirdos we met outside the museum," said Kid Arachnid. "I don't know about you guys, but something was way off about them. That man and woman had blue skin, along with their kid. And that bearded guy looked like he just robbed a bank!"

Spider-Man felt himself squirm inside. He knew very well those people Miranda was with were not normal. The bluish people were vampires! And the man who was dressed like he "just robbed a bank" was Chef Remy Bones, a skeleton! That was a secret that had to be kept under wraps. But his friends weren't big fans of monsters. Especially after past experiences with some actual monsters.

"Guys, just because they looked weird, it doesn't mean we have to worry about them!" Spider-Man insisted. He saw the doubt in his friends' faces.

"Dude, that is so unlike you to not take notice of a robbery about to happen that might involve a new, weirdly named mummy," Agent Venom responded. "And what about that Vee kid that got to see it?"

"Punk has a point. For all we know, the protest could be a setup in stealing this new mummy," Scarlet agreed, giving a hard glare at Spider-Man. "And just because you've been at their place for a short time, it doesn't mean they're not up to anything bad. Same goes for your girlfriend,"

"Scarlet, Miranda is not my girlfriend! She's just a friend," Spider-Man defended.

"Still, I say we keep an eye on them," Iron Spider responded. "I located the hotel they're staying at. Spidey, since you're already familiar with these people, you spy on them while we monitor that mummy they're so interested in."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Spider-Man was at a loss. _'Oh, man. My friends think that the Hauntleys might be thieves but don't know they're actually a family of vampires. I got to warn them and get a better understanding about this whole King Pepi situation before things get worse.'_

* * *

That night at the hotel, Miranda arrived with three boxes of pizza for the Hauntley family. "Okay, gang! Pizza's here!"

Vampirina Hauntley was the first to rush to her friend. "Yay! Thank you, Miranda!"

"I still think I should have made dinner!" said Chef Remy, as he helped Miranda carry the pizzas to the kitchen counter.

"Remy, the whole point of take out is taking a break from cooking," Miranda reminded him. "Besides, if there's one thing New York is famous for, it's pizza!" She opened one of the boxes. Inside was a delicious double cheese pizza.

Just before she can grab a slice, Miranda's phone pinged. She looked at her phone and her eyes grew. "Uh, guys? I think we have a problem."

"What's wrong?" asked Boris, now in his pajamas.

"I just got a text from Peter saying, 'We need to talk. Meet me outside the hotel alone.'" said Miranda. "This can't be good."

"It sure doesn't," said Oxana. "Should we go with you, just in case?"

Miranda looked at Oxana. The motherly vampire already had her pajamas and frog slime mask on. "No, that's okay, Mrs. H. You guys relax and I'll go see Peter. If anything happens, I'll call you." She grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

"I hope everything's okay," said Vampirina. "This is a tough town."

"It sure is," Remy sighed, as he flopped onto the couch. "I was dragging my bones all over this crazy city for this so-called famous New York pizza!" he said with a groan. "I am exhausted!"

"Then, that's all the more reason to kick back and enjoy this pizza!" Vampirina said, as she quickly put together a plate of pizza for Remy. "Let's just relax and be ourselves!"

Remy began to smile. "Oui! I can finally say au revoir to this ridiculous disguise!" He ripped off his fake beard, hat, and glasses. His skull was fully exposed.

"And I'm dying to try out this human soda pop Miranda praises so much!" Boris took the can. "Hmm, I wonder if it screams when you shake it and open it like the soda back in Transylvania?" With his vampire strength, he shook the can and opened it. The soda sprayed itself all over! The Hauntleys yelped and ran for cover.

"Sacre bleu!" Remy screamed, hiding under the table.

Boris wiped the soda on his shirt. "Exploding soda?! That's more shocking than screaming soda!"

Vampirina gasped. "Guys! Look!" She pointed to an invisible figure who was drenched in spilled soda.

"Aw, man. I just had this suit cleaned," the invisible figure responded, but realized the others can see him. "Uh oh."

"It's the Invisible Man!" Oxana used her vampire speed to grab the invisible figure and pin him to the wall. "What's the big idea spying on us?!"

To everyone's surprise, the invisible man became visible! The monsters got the shock of their lives when they saw a person dressed in a black and red Spider Man costume! He even looked younger than the original Spider-Man! "What the-?!" Oxana's eyes grew in surprise. "Who are you?!"

"Sorry, lady, but I don't reply back to a vampire villain!"

Kid Arachnid managed to kick Oxana off of him. She was about to crash into the wall until Boris managed to catch her.

"MAMA!" Vampirina screamed. Enraged, Vampirina rushed to her suitcase and took out several rolls of mummy bandages. As quick as a flash, she spun around Kid Arachnid, using the bandages to tie him up tight. "Gotcha!"

"All right! Who are you, and why are you here?!" Boris demanded to know.

Kid Arachnid didn't know what to do. He was tied up with the strongest bandages, trapped in a hotel room full of monsters. He was scared, but he had to be strong. "I'm not telling you nothing!"

Oxana loomed over the captured spider, giving him a diabolical glare. "Maybe a truth spell will make you talk!" She waved her hands in the air. Purple magic sparkled around her.

_"Lips unsealed, secrets unfold._

_You will tell the truth when you are told!"_

The vampire pointed her black, pointy fingernail at the trapped spider. Purple magic spun around him, a tingling sensation coursed through his body. With the spell cast, Oxana can now conduct a proper interrogation.

"Now, who are you and why are you here?" Oxana questioned.

The spell started to take effect. Kid Arachnid was about to blurt everything out. He tried closing his mouth shut, but the spell was too strong. "My name is Kid Arachnid. But my real name is Miles Morales. I came here to spy on Spider-Man because the Web-Warriors and I were suspicious of you guys!"

"What?! Why would you be suspicious of us?!" asked Vampirina.

"Because we were wondering why you would take that mummy back to your hometown so badly. And when Spidey didn't act suspicious like us, we had a feeling that he knew more than we did. So, Aramdaus Cho, who is Iron Spider, by the way, sent me to spy on you guys in secret while the others keep watch on the museum," Kid Arachnid continued, not believing he just admitted his friend's secret identity.

"Out of curiosity, who are these Web-Warriors? I thought Spider-Man was the only human teen with spider powers we've met?" Chef Remy replied.

Kid Arachnid was unable to resist the truth spell lingering in him. "He isn't. We're kind of like a spider-themed team who protects the city. Spidey was the one who brought us together."

"Wow, really? That is so spooktacular. It would actually be nice to meet the rest of Spidey's team properly," Vampirina admitted.

"Actually, you've already met us,"

"We have?" Boris questioned in confusion.

"Yeah, at the museum, a few hours ago. Flash Thompson is Agent Venom, Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider, and I already told you about Cho being Iron Spider. There is also Spider-Woman who is Mary Jane Watson and this new spider called Star Spider who is recovering somewhere that I don't even know where she is nor that much about her. In fact, none of us except Spidey knows where she is," Kid Arachnid continued, getting tired of admitting everything unwillingly. "GAH! Will you please make this spell stop?!"

The Hauntleys and Chef Remy looked at each other, wondering if they should.

"Well...we'll let you go and stop the spell under one condition," Oxana responded, not leaving her eyes on Kid Arachnid. "You promise not to tell anyone about our secret and we will do the same for you."

"I'm not sure if I can. How do I know you're not just saying that?" Kid Arachnid admitted in slight fear, the truth taking hold. "You're all monsters who could drink my blood or cook me! I was freaking out in knowing the shady guy was a walking skeleton with the rest of you as vampires!"

Vee stepped closer with remorseful eyes. "Because we would never harm humans. I can understand this is all weird and all, but you shouldn't judge us from the outside. Kid Arachnid, we just want our friend, King Pepi, back. He's part of our family. Just like how the Web-Warriors are with you. Spider-Man was just trying to protect us from causing humans to panic. Please, don't tell anyone."

Somehow, Kid Arachnid didn't seem so terrified anymore. The young preteen knew Peter well enough that he wouldn't be acting strange unless there was a good reason. And Kid Arachnid could see why. These monsters weren't really evil. Just a family trying to get their family member back home. A feeling Miles knew first hand when trying to reunite with his mom while being away from his home dimension Spider-Verse.

"...Okay. I promise not to saying anything about you guys," the young spider hero finally answered.

Seeing he complied, not to mention knew he was unable to lie, Oxana undid the spell she casted on Kid Arachnid. After that, Vee unraveled him out of the bandages before helping him up.

"Thanks, Kid Arachnid," Vampirina replied happily, already hugging the black and red spider hero that caught him off guard but eventually hugged back. "So, you can actually turn invisible on your own? Or do you use some kind of magic spell for that."

"Uh, no magic required. I just have this ability in going camouflage for stealth missions. I also have these venom blasts to stun my opponents," Kid Arachnid explained, showing his hands to reveal some red electric sparks from them.

"Wow! Can Spidey do that?!" Vee asked in amazement.

"No, just me. Not all spiders are the same," Kid Arachnid soon got a communication call from one of his friends and answered it. "Hello?"

"Kid Arachnid. It's Iron Spider. We got a situation. King Pepi has been stolen!" the Tech-Spider exclaimed. "The protesters must have already gotten to the museum before we could."

The Hauntleys and Chef Remy looked at each other in shock when hearing this.

"What?! That's impossible. It couldn't had been them. They're all here still in the hotel," Kid Arachnid replied. "All except Miranda. But she only left for a few minutes and the way to the museum is nearly less than an hour away."

"Well, either way, we got a missing mummy here out in the city. Even worse, Scarlet has gone off line and we don't know where he is, as well," Iron Spider briefed. "I'll let Spider-Man know. Agent Venom and I will spread out to look for King Pepi and or Scarlet."

"I'll join you," Kid Arachnid responded, ending his call and looking at the Hauntleys. "The Web-Warriors need my help. You four stay here."

"And let our friend get in danger? I think not!" Chef Remy scoffed, stepping close to the young spider. "We are coming with you."

"Chef Remy is right. King Pepi wouldn't leave his tomb. Especially in a big city like New York," Oxana explained.

"You mean the mummy is alive?! I knew it was cursed!" Kid Arachnid exclaimed, already making his way out of the room. "Look, I know the city better and faced way worse. The Web-Warriors and I got this. We'll be sure to bring King Pepi back."

Just has he made his way to an opened window, Kid Arachnid paused and looked at the monster family. "Oh. And incase you ever meet us again, please don't tell them about how you made me blurt out their secret identities. I will never hear the end of it."

"We won't. Promise," Vee assured.

"Great. Thanks," Kid Arachnid responded, already webbing out the window and began searching.

"Okay, everyone! Let's go save King Pepi!" said Vampirina.

"But what about Miles? He and his friends will bring him back!" Boris replied.

Vampirina shook her head. "No, Papa. We have to go. If it were you, would you wait? King Pepi was stolen by someone! If it were you, would you want us to just sit around and wait for some kind of miracle to happen?!"

Boris was surprised by his daughter's words. Oxana put a hand on Boris's shoulder. "Vee's right, my shriek. King Pepi needs all of us to save him."

Remy crossed his bony arms. "Face it, Boris. You're outnumbered."

"You're right. I am," Boris sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

Outside the hotel, Spider-Man was talking to Miranda about his team and the Hauntleys. "I'm worried that my team will find out about them being monsters!"

"But you could have just told them!" said Miranda.

"Well, I...I just wasn't sure about telling them," Spider-Man admitted. "They're not...okay with monsters. Plus, when I revealed too much to my friends, I...paid for it very hard."

"What do you mean?"

A moment later, Spider-Man sighed. "One of my friends, Scarlet Spider, was really a plant by a mad scientist villain named Doc Ock. He exposed my identity to him and all my enemies."

Miranda felt her heart race as Spidey continued.

"I thought for sure it was all over for me and Aunt May. But Scarlet came through and saved us. But..."

"You still don't feel comfortable revealing too much?" Miranda finished.

"Yeah...I mean, I know you should have faith in your friends, but I...I just don't know if I should. There's always that...little knot of fear in my stomach telling me not to say too much," The spider hero dipped his shoulders. "I have that feeling right now...that I've said too much to you..."

A gentle hand touched Spider-Man's shoulder. He turned and saw Miranda with a patient, understanding look. "It's okay, Spidey. I know exactly how you feel about keeping secrets. We don't have to tell your friends about my friends, if you're not comfortable with it."

"Thanks, Miranda."

The heart to heart was spoiled when Spider-Man gets a message from Iron Spider. "Spidey! The mummy has been stolen!"

"What?! I'm on it!" Spidey replied, ready to leave.

Miranda grabbed the hero's arm. "I'm coming with you. King Pepi is the reason we're here."

"No, Miranda. It's too dangerous," said Spider-Man.

"Spidey! Please! Pepi is my friend! Please! I can't just let him be kidnapped! Please! I want to HELP!" Her pleading voice was powerful, something, whatever it was, came over Spidey.

"Okay, climb on," Spider-Man took Miranda's arm and put her on her back. "Hold on."

Blushing, Miranda held onto Spider-Man and the hero began web-slinging into town.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Miranda screamed. She felt like she was riding the most insane roller coaster ride of her life. Even more insane that riding Vee's Hover Haunt Spook-Thousand broom.

"The armored truck that took the mummy is heading to the abandoned warehouse by the Hudson River," Iron Spider instructed.

"On it," Spider-Man continued swinging through New York while carrying the wailing Miranda. Finally, they landed at the abandoned warehouse.

Miranda was still hanging onto Spidey, even though they landed without a single scratch. Her eyes were bulging and her face was white. She was somehow able to unhand Spider-Man and stand on her wobbling knees.

"You okay?" asked Spider-Man.

"Yeah...just...a little...woooooo!" Miranda exhaled greatly. "That was a rush!"

"Okay, now let's find us a mummy,"

But before anything else, Spider-Man and Miranda became ensnared in a plasma net!

"AAAAAHHH! What is happening?!" Miranda screamed.

Spider-Man gritted his teeth. "We've been trapped like animals! And I know one person who likes to hunt people like animals."

"Surely you don't mean me, little spider," said a thick-accented male voice.

Spider-Man saw that his hunch was right. Stomping toward him in leather boots was Kraven the Hunter. "Kraven, you got some nerve showing your mustache in front of me!"

Kraven just sneered. "Joke as much as you want, Spider. I have the mummy, you and a bonus hostage. All the pieces are coming into place."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a different part of the city, Vampirina and her parents were flying as bats while Chef Remy flew on a Hover Haunt Spook-Thousand broom, searching for their missing friend. The Hauntleys were in their bat forms for flying.

"Whoa. New York looks bigger than Pennsylvania and Transylvania combined," Vampirina said in slight concern. "How can we find King Pepi through all of this?"

"Oui, this town is a labyrinth of lights and noisy cars!" Remy groused.

"We'll find him, my little spider. I promise," Oxana assured. "Let's split up to cover more ground and meet back somewhere in five minutes."

"Good idea, Oxana. We can meet at the Empire Scare Builing," Boris suggested.

"I think you mean Empire State Building, Papa. But yeah. Sounds like a scary idea to me," Vee responded happily.

"Wee. If any of us hear or see our friend anywhere, we call and take the lead in where he might be," Chef Remy responded.

"Be careful, Vee," Oxana said, giving her daughter a kiss before splitting up like the others.

"Don't worry, Mama, I will!" Vampirina called, already checking on the south side of town.

The little vampire continued flying, still searching for King Pepi. Just then, before heading back to where her family was located, she heard a familiar voice coming from an abandoned warehouse. To her, it sounded like King Pepi!

"I think I found him! I better get back with my family and tell them!" Vampirina exclaimed.

The little bat tried to find her way back to her parents and or Chef Remy in finding the Empire State Building. But she seemed lost. To her, all these buildings looked the same. It didn't take long for her to see someone in a long trench coat and hat walking around the streets.

"Chef Remy! He must have landed and went to check by foot!" Vee cried with happiness, already flying down to where he was and changed back to her kid-self when landing before running. "Chef Remy! I found where King Pepi is!"

When getting close, however, the little vampire realized that this wasn't Chef Remy in disguise she was talking to. It was a male adult human.

"Sorry to disappoint, young child. But I am not a chef nor someone called Remy," the gentleman replied, only to notice the visible features on Vee with wide eyes.

"Oh! My bad. I thought you were-" Vampirina started but got caught off.

"My word! Your skin is blue! The city is no place for a sick child by herself," the New Yorker man exclaimed, getting something from his coat. "I have just the thing for that."

Vampirina felt uncomfortable about this. "Uh, actually, I'm not really-Hey!"

The trenched coat wearing man snatched Vee's arm with one hand and pulled out a needle syringe. He poked the vampire's arm with the needle. Vampirina squealed in pain just as the man freed her arm.

"There we go, my dear. This booster-shot should make you feel all better," the strange man assured, already taking his leave after finishing.

Vampirina just stood there in silence. "What...just happened?"


	4. Chapter 4

Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Miranda were still trying to get out of this net Kraven trapped them in.

"Don't bother struggling. My traps are reinforced for prey like you, Spider-Man," Kraven replied.

"Spidey, what is going on!? Who is this nutcase?" Miranda questioned, still finding a way to break out from the trap.

"He's Kraven the Hunter. Lives up to the name. You'd think his parents would have called him Kraven the Hugger or something more pleasant," Spider-Man quipped. "Anyway, he collects powerful objects and hunts rare animals in being immortal. Along with hunting people and taking their lives."

The news disgusted Miranda, thinking how this creep would be so cruel in murdering animals and people.

"There's one thing I don't get, Kraven. Why go all this trouble in stealing an ancient mummy? This seems a bit off routine, even for you," Spider-Man pointed out. "I can see this as some evil archeologist taking the mummy for untold riches, but you never struck me as the archeologist type."

"It's not the mummy. It's the power he has," Kraven corrected. "With it, I can trap that ungrateful cub of mine that got away."

"Ungrateful cub?! You mean Star Spider!" Spider Man retorted.

"Who?" asked Miranda, seriously confused here.

"Exactly," said Kraven. "She was my own creation that eventually betrayed me. She got too close to following your annoying team to a point she got contaminated and turned her back on me," He curved an evil smile. "But with King Pepi's power, I will have both their heads on my walls. But first..." The hunter took out a remote and pressed a button. Below Spidey and Miranda was a pit of laser spikes. "I'm going to have some fun before I get to work."

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" said a voice.

Spidey gasped when he saw the lid to the sarcophagus opened and King Pepi himself standing outside of it! He really was alive!

"King Pepi!" Miranda shouted.

Kraven looked at the mummy; looking mighty with his bandaged chest puffed out and hands put proudly on his hips. But the callous hunter chuckled at the living mummy. "So, you are alive. I expect nothing less from the legends, King Pepi."

Pepi just glared at the human.

"Uh, what kind of legends is he talking about?" asked Spider-Man.

King Pepi slipped his hand beneath the gauze wrapped around his chest. He pulled out a small golden scarab beetle. It shimmered with a bright blue glow. "This."

Kraven grinned, his eyes glistened with malicious intent. "The Spark of Life."

"The what?!" Spider-Man exclaimed in question.

"A power that brings life to anyone or anything," said King Pepi, looking at the golden scarab.

"And drain the life force of others," Kraven added. "It can also track down the life force of anyone the wielder chooses."

Spider-Man tightened his fists, now understanding the evil hunter's true plans. "So, you want to use that to find Star Spider and drain her life force!?"

"Exactly. But only if she tries to disobey me again when being back in my custody. So, what do you say, King Pepi? The scarab in exchange for these two miserable souls?" Kraven offered, gesturing to his captives. "Just remember, one push from this button and it's over from both of them. So, choose wisely, dead man."

"PEPI! DON'T GIVE IT TO HIM!" Miranda shouted. He hoped her mummy friend would use some kind of mummy magic to save her and Spider-Man. But King Pepi remained cool and collected, hardly fazed.

"Miranda, you don't make that decision," King Pepi said. His voice was so serious, it even stunned Miranda. "You can have the Spark of Life, Kraven." He offered the scarab to the hunter.

His words shocked Miranda and Spider-Man. Kraven smiled and put the remote away. "A wise decision, your Highness." He advanced forward to claim his prize. Just as his hand reached for the scarab, a string of web shot out, latched onto the scarab, and was taken out of Pepi's hand.

"MY SCARAB!" Kraven yelled. A certain brooding spider emerged from the shadows.

King Pepi smiled, delighted by Kraven's reaction. "Well done, my friend."

"Don't mention it, punk," said Scarlet Spider.

"Scarlet!" Spider-Man exclaimed, actually happy to see one of his friends here and looked at Miranda. "Don't worry. He's with me."

Growling, Kraven brought out his hunting knifes and tossed them at the brooding spider. "Give me back what is mine, you annoying arachnid!"

Scarlet dodged all the knife throwing and jumped to kick Kraven down. Eventually, a fight broke down between those two.

With Kraven distracted, King Pepi came to rescue Spidey and Miranda. He closed his eyes and muttered an incantation. He pointed at the net and turned it to dust. The two were free and Pepi used his bandages to catch his friends before falling into the pit.

"Are you guys all right?" asked King Pepi.

"We are. Thanks to you, King Pepi," said Miranda.

Pepi shook his head. "Not really, Miranda. This was all Scarlet Spider's plan. While Kraven was distracted with you, Scarlet approached me and told me what was going on. Then, we came up with this plan."

"Nice!" said Spider-Man.

Kraven was just about to attack Scarlet Spider some more until three bats came in and swooped down on the hunter. While the bats were biting and clawing at Kraven, a rolling pin came rolling in and Kraven tripped over it. He fell painfully to the floor.

That's when Scarlet saw his chance. He leaped up into the air and delivered a hard punch into Kraven's face. The impact was so powerful, there was a crater underneath Kraven's head.

"That, was for Star Spider, and for everything you did to her, punk," Scarlet Spider turned and saw the stray rolling pin. "Anyone care to explain that?" He pointed to the rolling pin.

Just then, the Web-Warriors came crashing through the warehouse wall. It was Kid Arachnid, Agent Venom, and Iron Spider.

"Guys! What did we miss?!" asked Agent Venom.

The Web Warriors were shocked to see King Pepi alive and staring at them. They heard groaning and saw the Hauntleys and a skeleton wearing a trench coat lying on the floor. Turns out, the heroes' entrance kept the Hauntleys from making a clean getaway.

"Oh, man! Not only did we missed a lot, we also missed all the fun!" Agent Venom blurted out.

"Okay, what is going on here?!" Iron Spider exclaimed.

Spider-Man sighed. "Looks like I have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower, Spider Man explained everything to his friends about the Hauntleys and who they really were. Even Kid Arachnid confessed about his encounter with them...minus the whole truth spell incident part.

"So Kraven stole the mummy this whole time? And the mummy happens to be alive, as well?" Agent Venom questioned in understanding.

"And the fact that Miranda is friends with the mummy and a family of blue skinned vampires!" Kid Arachnid added. "I knew there was something off about them."

"Yeah. Everyone knew something was off about them, punk," Scarlet remarked, clearly not surprised. "They had blue skin, can run very fast, and the kid has batwing-shaped pigtails on her head."

"Don't forget fangs. Vampires have fangs, too," Agent Venom pointed out.

"I didn't know we were that obvious." said Boris, dipping his shoulders.

"It's okay, you guys are who you are. It's nothing to be ashamed of," said Spider-Man.

Agent Venom crossed his arms across his chest. "I just can't believe you lied to us, Spidey! If you would have just told us about the Hauntleys being monsters, none of this would have happened!"

Spider Man sighed. "I know. I should have just been honest with you guys. I was only trying to protect their secret about being monsters. But..."

"It's alright, Spidey. Like you said, you only wanted to protect them," said Scarlet Spider.

Despite being a bit mad at the Web-Head Prime, Scarlet and the rest of the Web-Warriors understood why Spidey did what he did.

"Well, now that I understand completely on why you wanted King Pepi back to Pennsylvania so badly, I think there's a way I can help with that," Iron Spider responded, already tapping on his armor wrist to do something.

"Like sign our petition?" Miranda asked hopefully.

"Better. I'm hacking into the Natural History Museum's computers to have the new mummy return to the Pennsylvanian Museum," Iron Spider explained. "The people that work there should ship King Pepi first thing in the morning."

Vampirina jumped in the air. "Yay! King Pepi! You're coming home!" She hugged her mummy friend.

"I say we have a big welcome home party when we get back!" Miranda suggested.

"Fantastic idea!" said King Pepi.

Spider Man saw Scarlet Spider leaving. "Hey, Scarlet. Where are you going?"

"To make sure Kraven's cell is heavily reinforced. I want to make sure that punk never sees the light of day again," The spider's words chilled even the gang of monsters.

"We can join you," Spidey replied, only to get the coldshoulder from the brooding spider hero.

"Don't bother. I can take care of this myself," Scarlet responded harshly, glaring as if he was mad. "I've always had."

Sensing that he doesn't want any company, Spidey let Scarlet go and watched the brooding spider leave out of the room.

"Okay…That was weird," Spider-Man admitted, before looking at his team. "Anybody else noticed that Scarlet has been acting ruder and threatening than usual?"

"Not really. He's always been like that," Agent Venom shrugged.

"Yeah. Besides, you know how Scarlet gets when dealing with monsters and strange beings," Kid Arachnid responded, only to quickly realize what he just said before turning to the Hauntleys. "Um, no offense to all of you. You seem to be very nice monster people, in my opinion."

"It's okay, Miles. We know that it's not easy for some humans to adjust to us," said Oxana.

"I'm wondering why Scarlet shut down his communicator after King Pepi got stolen," Iron Spider wondered. "He could have just warned us about where he is or what's happening."

"Maybe Scarlet knew King Pepi was more than just a regular mummy and didn't want us to blow his cover," Kid Arachnid shrugged. "He more secretive than Peter."

"Hey!" Spidey remarked, only to see his friends laugh at that.

However, that did got the web-slinging hero thinking on that subject. From what King Pepi told him, Scarlet mentioned to the mummy that he was already at the warehouse before Spidey and Miranda arrived. And the fact that Scarlet saw Kraven take the sarcophagus and followed him from there.

_'Something is up with Scarlet. He's almost acting like his old self but totally different,' _Spidey thought.

Just then, getting out of his own train of thoughts, Spidey noticed Vampirina looking a bit dizzy and went to check on her. "You okay, Vee?" Spider-Man asked with concern, taking a knee to be eye-leveled with her.

"Yeah…Just getting over this booster-shot I got when looking for King Pepi," Vampirina answered, nearly losing her balance if Spidey hadn't caught her from falling.

"Booster-shot? From who?" Spider-Man questioned in confusion and suspicion.

"Some human doctor I ran into. He thought I was sick because of how blue my skin was," Vee answered, placing a hand on her head. "Before I could explain that I wasn't sick, he grabbed my arm and gave me the shot. I didn't think human doctors do that."

"They don't. Not unless they're mad scientists. And not the good kind," Spidey said, now picking the little vampire up in his arms and carried her over to the Hauntleys. "Better get Vee home and checked on. I don't think anything severe happened her, but still check just in case."

"You don't have to tell us twice," Oxana took out her spell book. "I'll go through all the mystic medical tests."

He didn't know why, but Spider-Man believed that there might be more to this mad scientist than he realized. For all he knew, it may be another scientist gone evil like his former archenemy, Doc Ock. If not way more dangerous and psychotic. And boy, was he not off from that theory.

* * *

In a secret unknown location, the 'mad scientist' came in taking off a trench coat and hat before coming back to his lab. Along with greeting his specimens.

"I'm back. And you will never guess what I got," the mysterious scientist said to the adult Symbiote plus baby in the glass container before bringing out a tube with someone's blood from his pocket. "Pure vampire DNA. The exact ingredient I need to completely perfect my formula and one more step closer to my goal."

To the mad scientist, snagging vampire DNA from that young child was easier than he expected. Although he didn't expect to come across a rare monster, this gave him the opportunity he's been looking for.

"Soon, this city shall be mine to rule. And, if all goes accordingly, the world," the mysterious scientist responded with a sinister smile on his face when looking at the vile of Vampire DNA before placing it on the table. "Those annoying heroes won't stand a chance against what I got planned. They will be obeying every word I say, without question. Including Spider-Man and his Web-Warrior pals."

The glitter Symbiote and its infant looked at the tube in curiosity; as if wondering what it was before becoming fidgety from hunger.

"Oh. Silly me. Can't leave my rare pets starving to death," the mad doctor responded, already bringing out some lab rats. "Time for dinner."

While feeding his Symbiote pets, the mysterious scientist couldn't help but grin evilly at what he has planned now that he's got vampire DNA. For the real danger was about to begin very soon.


End file.
